Scooters Abound in San Antonio

There’s no need for walking with more dockless scooters joining the downtown landscape

By Kayla De La Peña

Photo Courtesy Blue Duck Scooters

The founders of Blue Duck Scooters know that walking in San Antonio’s heat is dreadful—even if you’re just going a few blocks for coffee or across campus to get to class.

With the introduction this summer of its dockless scooters, the tech company is trying to change that. Using an app, locals can unlock a dockless scooter for just $1 (an additional 15 cents is added for each minute of use), ride it to their destination and then leave the scooter outside for the next rider. The company was started by local father-son duo Paul and Eric Bell, piloted at Trinity University and officially launched at South By Southwest before debuting in San Antonio. Custom software tracks scooters and can even shut them down remotely if needed. At the end of each day, scooters, or “ducks,” are picked up to be recharged for use the next morning.

Dozens already are at Pearl and downtown and a total of 1,000 are expected to be available in the coming months. The onslaught of scooters in other cities has led to regulations (and even the temporary banning of scooters in some places). The San Antonio City Council has met with citizens over the issue and hopes to issue any regulations this month.

+2 Other Scooter Options to Try

Lime

San Francisco- based Lime deployed a fleet of scooters in San Antonio in August. The program works similarly to Blue Duck ($1 to rent and 15 cents per minute to ride), but asks riders to upload a photo of their scooter safely parked once they’re through with it.

Bird

Launched in 2017, this Los Angeles company now has scooters in San Antonio, Austin and about a dozen other cities. Just like Lime and Blue Duck, riders access scooters via an app, pay a $1 base fee and are charged 15 cents per minute after that.

A Scooter Route to Try

1. Walk through Pearl with the Blue Duck (or other company ) app open and look for a scooter to check out. (We wouldn’t blame you for grabbing a Maybelle’s donut before hitting the road.)

2. Head down Broadway, taking a right on East Jones Avenue and stop for a drink or “crack fries” at The Luxury. Scooter riders are encouraged to use bike lanes and roads rather than the River Walk or sidewalks.

3. Scoot back to Broadway and make your way to South Alamo Street. Pull over at Hemisfair where you can pause for ping-pong, foosball or a paleta.